Member DiP Posted May 7, 2014 Member Share Posted May 7, 2014 Had no idea you live in Sweden or that you don't get these kinds of films there in theatrical release. What is it like there in regards to films shown? Is it mostly just local productions getting screened? They mostly run the most popular films from Hollywood but can on occasions show foreign films from countries like France, China/HK, Germany, and few other European countries. The Grandmaster actually had a nationwide release here last year but I already saw it at that point (and it was good but not great imo) so I didn't bother. Are you saying that in general when you watch action films you only watch the action scenes the first viewing? I've never heard of doing that. It's certainly a unique way to watch a film. Only do this to martial arts action films and don't like to spoil myself watching an entire action film in crap quality when you can do that later on. Like when Donnie Yen has an upcoming film already out, I'm giving myself a task to seek out a decent downloadable copy to see if the action is good. This is a habit I got from the good people at the Stuntpeople board, and few members there regularly post here and do the same thing I do as well (rdenn, BKarza). The story and build-up of different character arcs and actions in this film brought so much impact to the action scenes in THE RAID 2. I'm sure you will enjoy it even more after seeing the whole film. Great! I'll buy the bluray for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lionclaw Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 No cam job is watchable. Ever. Especially this one... watch?v=i5Kf_V_26_Q No offense, but have you seen many cam jobs? The Raid 2 cam job is very watchable. There are way worse ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 No cam job is watchable. Ever. Especially this one... watch?v=i5Kf_V_26_Q While information on the sides to bottom of the screen is cut out, I could still make out what was happening. And like Lionclaw pointed out, there's way worse camjobs out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Keung Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 If you had seen it in the cinema first and then watched the cam copy, like I did, then you'd realise just how bad it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 No cam job is watchable. Ever. Especially this one... watch?v=i5Kf_V_26_Q That thing gave me a headache. Horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Keung Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 Here ya go... Screen cap from trailer and screen cap from cam. Now tell me it's watchable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 Fair enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lionclaw Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 If you had seen it in the cinema first and then watched the cam copy, like I did, then you'd realise just how bad it is. I've been watching the cam copy since the night I came back from watching the Raid 2 in theaters and while I'm a bit desensitized, the fights have the same effect. Has blu rays spoiled you guys that much? The fact that most of you probably seen the movie in theaters should if anything make the cam copy easier to make out. In my experience cam copies are great for at least forming an opinion on whether or not to buy a movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 For me, what sucks about cam copies is the sound quality. Then there’s the cropped images and, on the really bad cams, people getting up to get a popcorn refills... But sometimes, cam copies can work to your advantage. I remember seeing cams of Sinister, and it actually added to its creepiness (it also helped that the sound was decent and not muffled). But for a film like The Raid 2, with all that detailed choreography, I prefer to watch a legit copy. Doesn’t have to be a Blu-ray, at least DVD. Heck, I’ll take a VHS copy of it were available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lionclaw Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 For me, what sucks about cam copies is the sound quality. Then there’s the cropped images and, on the really bad cams, people getting up to get a popcorn refills... But sometimes, cam copies can work to your advantage. I remember seeing cams of Sinister, and it actually added to its creepiness (it also helped that the sound was decent and not muffled). But for a film like The Raid 2, with all that detailed choreography, I prefer to watch a legit copy. Doesn’t have to be a Blu-ray, at least DVD. Heck, I’ll take a VHS copy of it were available. I get what your saying and I rarely watch cam copy horror movies because most are too dark to make out anything. But then again I watched the ugliest, darkest, worst possible cam copy for Ninja Assassin and still kind of enjoyed it. Then I got the dvd. Recently I bought the blu ray and can see the fights in all its glory. These cam copies are only temporary. The Raid 2's beautiful choreography isn't going anywhere. I've been trying to increase my martial arts movies on blu ray but the US releases are too far and between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 I get what your saying and I rarely watch cam copy horror movies because most are too dark to make out anything. But then again I watched the ugliest, darkest, worst possible cam copy for Ninja Assassin and still kind of enjoyed it. Then I got the dvd. Recently I bought the blu ray and can see the fights in all its glory. These cam copies are only temporary. The Raid 2's beautiful choreography isn't going anywhere. I've been trying to increase my martial arts movies on blu ray but the US releases are too far and between. For sure. I still can’t get over the Raid 2. The build up of that movie, which gets better and better with every scene after is amazing. It’s possibly the best martial arts movie I have ever seen. I was exausted after watching it (in a good way). I felt myself not breathing or clenching my fists during most of its action scenes... But I still have to say some of Jackie’s peak films were better. It’s hard to compare, especially with all the sophisticated camera work (and sound effects), which those early Golden Harvest films didn’t have. I guess I’ll have to turn the sound off or something to get a solid comparison. And Julie Estelle…. man o’ man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted May 9, 2014 Moderator Share Posted May 9, 2014 Only do this to martial arts action films and don't like to spoil myself watching an entire action film in crap quality when you can do that later on. Like when Donnie Yen has an upcoming film already out, I'm giving myself a task to seek out a decent downloadable copy to see if the action is good. This is a habit I got from the good people at the Stuntpeople board, and few members there regularly post here and do the same thing I do as well (rdenn, BKarza). That's certainly an interesting way to watch a martial arts movie, I guess it's especially interesting to me because it's the polar opposite of how I watch things. For me watching only the fight scenes in a movie before you watch the whole thing would essentially deflate the whole experience. In any kung-fu movie the fight scenes should act as the exclamation points in story, however by watching them first you're removing those points and moments of excitement. It's like having sex and starting by having an orgasm. If you only want to watch fight scenes, and aren't concerned with having any of the emotional investment in them that knowing the story and leadup brings, wouldn't it be better just watching youtube clips of MA demonstrations and tournaments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 I would throw my own mother down a wishing well if ever come across a cam version regardless of what movie being shown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member massa_yoda Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 I would throw my own mother in a wishing well if ever come across a cam version regardless of what movie being shown. ...what would you wish for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 ...what would you wish for? A decent copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lionclaw Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 That's certainly an interesting way to watch a martial arts movie, I guess it's especially interesting to me because it's the polar opposite of how I watch things. For me watching only the fight scenes in a movie before you watch the whole thing would essentially deflate the whole experience. In any kung-fu movie the fight scenes should act as the exclamation points in story, however by watching them first you're removing those points and moments of excitement. It's like having sex and starting by having an orgasm. If you only want to watch fight scenes, and aren't concerned with having any of the emotional investment in them that knowing the story and leadup brings, wouldn't it be better just watching youtube clips of MA demonstrations and tournaments? I love this analogy. When I was younger I used to watch most of the fight scenes (especially the final battle) before I saw the movie as a whole. I did this mainly because the final battle made or broke a movie for me. (I'm less strict now, but its still very important to me.) When you are watching the fight out of context you are just judging the quality of the fight and asking yourself a bunch of questions. (Like whose who, or why is he fighting that guy?) When you finally watch the movie as a whole you get a lot of clarity and understanding when you discover the motives for a fight. This way of watching films is not for everyone but its actually a very interesting way of watching martial arts/action films. The reason I didn't feel sorry for watching almost every single official clip of The Raid 2 before the movie came out was probably due to my experience in watching fight scenes first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted May 9, 2014 Moderator Share Posted May 9, 2014 I love this analogy. When I was younger I used to watch most of the fight scenes (especially the final battle) before I saw the movie as a whole. I did this mainly because the final battle made or broke a movie for me. (I'm less strict now, but its still very important to me.) When you are watching the fight out of context you are just judging the quality of the fight and asking yourself a bunch of questions. (Like whose who, or why is he fighting that guy?) When you finally watch the movie as a whole you get a lot of clarity and understanding when you discover the motives for a fight. This way of watching films is not for everyone but its actually a very interesting way of watching martial arts/action films. The reason I didn't feel sorry for watching almost every single official clip of The Raid 2 before the movie came out was probably due to my experience in watching fight scenes first. Good points, and I completely appreciate that people have different ways of viewing movies. I guess for me watching all of the fight scenes first is the equivalent of reading the last page of a book, it would take away from the overall experience for me. But then as you mention it comes down to how you watch a movie, I personally like to go in as blind as possible, and love the anticipation of not knowing what's to come. To have seen what are undeniably going to be the highlights, before experiencing it as a whole, would just ruin it for me. In that regard, I guess you could say the movie itself is just as important to me as the fight scenes, so no matter how shoddy or lame the story is, I still want to know what the context is that the fight scenes are taking place in, and who the characters are. But, to go back to my original point, an orgasm is an orgasm, it's going to feel good no matter what time you have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 That's certainly an interesting way to watch a martial arts movie, I guess it's especially interesting to me because it's the polar opposite of how I watch things. For me watching only the fight scenes in a movie before you watch the whole thing would essentially deflate the whole experience. In any kung-fu movie the fight scenes should act as the exclamation points in story, however by watching them first you're removing those points and moments of excitement. It's like having sex and starting by having an orgasm. If you only want to watch fight scenes, and aren't concerned with having any of the emotional investment in them that knowing the story and leadup brings, wouldn't it be better just watching youtube clips of MA demonstrations and tournaments? Have encountered such comments many times before. However, such things don't affect my experiences re-watching new films because I immediately move on after watching action scenes and wait till new films are out on DVD/BD. By then, I'm always able to watch with a new mind. So as much as you have a good point on just watching action scenes in early stage of film releases rather than wait till they are out on home entertainment format, it's doesn't matter nor ain't making any difference to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member reason108 Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 Wow! It has not sunk in yet but just back from watching this at the local theater. I thought that The Raid was the perfect combination of story and action. I don't think that either got in the way of the other. The Raid 2 is more plot oriented but yet there is action. Holy shit there is action! Lite at the beginning but when it does kick in, it kicks in! Was the last hour pure action or what? It sure seemed that it lasted for an hour, maybe more. It was cool that they broke it up so it was not just fighting. I think that some of the choreography did get a little repetitive. But, f*ck was it brutal! I had read that it was but it was perhaps more than I expected it to be. Hammer Girl is hot. It was released by Sony Classic Pictures and it only received an R rating here in the states. I bet if they would have shown one breast it would have been NC-17. I would assume that the version that I saw was uncut. It was subbed. It was a later night showing with a small crowd but you could certainly hear everyone`s reaction at certain points during the film and people were certainly talking about it afterwards. This is certainly a worthy successor to the first one. Now, let`s talk Raid 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 Wow! It has not sunk in yet but just back from watching this at the local theater. I thought that The Raid was the perfect combination of story and action. I don't think that either got in the way of the other. The Raid 2 is more plot oriented but yet there is action. Holy shit there is action! Lite at the beginning but when it does kick in, it kicks in! Was the last hour pure action or what? It sure seemed that it lasted for an hour, maybe more. It was cool that they broke it up so it was not just fighting. I think that some of the choreography did get a little repetitive. But, f*ck was it brutal! I had read that it was but it was perhaps more than I expected it to be. Hammer Girl is hot. It was released by Sony Classic Pictures and it only received an R rating here in the states. I bet if they would have shown one breast it would have been NC-17. I would assume that the version that I saw was uncut. It was subbed. It was a later night showing with a small crowd but you could certainly hear everyone`s reaction at certain points during the film and people were certainly talking about it afterwards. This is certainly a worthy successor to the first one. Now, let`s talk Raid 3. hahaha nice one..the film is bringing back chills to KF fans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Keung Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 I've fallen head over heals for this film. Received a British quad poster in the mail today - Got this this quad on the way, too... Also picked up these random goodies last week - Gangster phrase book, iPhone cases, shirt, character cards and a real fucking hammer / bottle opener! Bring on the Blu-ray! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Keung Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 The official Australian website lists DVD/Blu-ray/Digital release date as August 6th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 that is some nice gear u have!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lionclaw Posted May 9, 2014 Member Share Posted May 9, 2014 Wow! It has not sunk in yet but just back from watching this at the local theater. I thought that The Raid was the perfect combination of story and action. I don't think that either got in the way of the other. The Raid 2 is more plot oriented but yet there is action. Holy shit there is action! Lite at the beginning but when it does kick in, it kicks in! Was the last hour pure action or what? It sure seemed that it lasted for an hour, maybe more. It was cool that they broke it up so it was not just fighting. I think that some of the choreography did get a little repetitive. But, f*ck was it brutal! I had read that it was but it was perhaps more than I expected it to be. Hammer Girl is hot. It was released by Sony Classic Pictures and it only received an R rating here in the states. I bet if they would have shown one breast it would have been NC-17. I would assume that the version that I saw was uncut. It was subbed. It was a later night showing with a small crowd but you could certainly hear everyone`s reaction at certain points during the film and people were certainly talking about it afterwards. This is certainly a worthy successor to the first one. Now, let`s talk Raid 3. Are you forgetting that practically naked whore with the strap on in the porno factory scene? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Asmo Posted May 10, 2014 Moderator Share Posted May 10, 2014 The official Australian website lists DVD/Blu-ray/Digital release date as August 6th. Not so far off, great! Thanks for posting that info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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